The Accidental Empress

The Accidental Empress New York Times bestselling author Allison Pataki follows up on her critically acclaimed debut novel The Traitor s Wife with the little known and tumultuous love story of Sisi the Austro Hungarian Em

Title: The Accidental Empress

Author: Allison Pataki

ISBN: null

Page: 246

Format: Kindle Edition

New York Times bestselling author Allison Pataki follows up on her critically acclaimed debut novel, The Traitor s Wife, with the little known and tumultuous love story of Sisi the Austro Hungarian Empress and captivating wife of Emperor Franz Joseph.The year is 1853, and the Habsburgs are Europe s most powerful ruling family With his empire stretching from Austria to RNew York Times bestselling author Allison Pataki follows up on her critically acclaimed debut novel, The Traitor s Wife, with the little known and tumultuous love story of Sisi the Austro Hungarian Empress and captivating wife of Emperor Franz Joseph.The year is 1853, and the Habsburgs are Europe s most powerful ruling family With his empire stretching from Austria to Russia, from Germany to Italy, Emperor Franz Joseph is young, rich, and ready to marry.Fifteen year old Elisabeth, Sisi, Duchess of Bavaria, travels to the Habsburg Court with her older sister, who is betrothed to the young emperor But shortly after her arrival at court, Sisi finds herself in an unexpected dilemma she has inadvertently fallen for and won the heart of her sister s groom Franz Joseph reneges on his earlier proposal and declares his intention to marry Sisi instead Thrust onto the throne of Europe s most treacherous imperial court, Sisi upsets political and familial loyalties in her quest to win, and keep, the love of her emperor, her people, and of the world.With Pataki s rich period detail and cast of complex, bewitching characters, The Accidental Empress offers a captivating glimpse into one of history s most intriguing royal families, shedding new light on the glittering Hapsburg Empire and its most mesmerizing, most beloved Fairy Queen.

About “Allison Pataki”

Allison Pataki

ALLISON PATAKI is the NYTimes Bestselling author of THE TRAITOR S WIFE, THE ACCIDENTAL EMPRESS, SISI EMPRESS ON HER OWN, WHERE THE LIGHT FALLS, and the memoir, BEAUTY IN THE BROKEN PLACES Her work has been translated into than a dozen languages, has been featured on The TODAY Show, The NY Times, The Huffington Post, USA Today, FOX News, Morning Joe, and .Visit AllisonPataki to connect and find out .

286 thoughts on “The Accidental Empress”

Edit: April 4/4/15A lot of you lovely commentators have been asking me for recommendations for Sisi books I actually enjoyed. I'm happy to very highly recommend a book I've finally, finally managed to review called Stealing Sisi's Star: How a Master Thief Nearly Got Away with Austria's Most Famous Jewel by the very talented Jennifer Bahaney (who you may recognize from her helpful comments in this review when she kindly corrected all the stuff I got wrong about the real empress!). She very kindly [...]

I had more fun reading the article on Sisi. Historically it was noted that she was an eccentric and probably suffered from an eating disorder as she was obsessive about her weight and her hair. It was also said that she was so traumatized by her wedding night that she wouldn't leave her chamber for 3 days. Pataki's story makes it sound as though she were a frustrated lover. I would have preferred the facts rather than the fiction.

Find this and other reviews at: flashlightcommentary.*** NOTE: This review contains spoilers. Please take heed and proceed at your own risk. An ARC of Alison Pataki’s The Accidental Empress sat on my kindle for nearly two years. Howard Books granted me a copy sometime before the novel was released in February 2015, but the first chapter of the book left such a bad taste in my mouth that despite multiple attempts, I was unable to reach chapter two. I’ll grant that Maximilian was a womanizer, [...]

Duchess Elizabeth, or Sisi, is the second daughter of a Duke of Bavaria, given little education in court etiquette or book subjects. When her older sister, Helene, is invited to the Hapsburg court to meet their cousin, Frank, Sisi tags along and steals the show (and his heart).The stage is set for a fairy tale romance except for a few factors: Sophie, his overbearing mother; the constant demands of the Hapsburg kingdom; and a bit of philandering. Sisi's heart is broken and she spends time away f [...]

I really enjoyed this book. It was beautifully written and pulled the reader into the lives of the Emperor and Empress along with the people they dealt with like the Archduchess Sophie who really ticked me off. This was well worth my time and I can't wait to dig into Sisi for the continuation of the story of Sisi/Elisabeth/Elisa.

This book was a slow start for me. For the longest time, I was stuck below 13% done. But once I hit my stride, I fairly flew through this novel. The author has a real knack for putting her reader’s right into the time period and making them breathe the environment, not just read about it. The imperial Hapsburg court with its rigid protocols, the bucolic wonder of rural Bavaria, and the wonders of 19th century Hungary all come to wonderful life. I definitely have to give the author credit for t [...]

This was a case of deep curiosity about a captivating historical figure that I've only vaguely caught glimpses of up until now. Upon seeing a new to me author had tackled the story of Empress Elisabeth 'Sisi' of the Austrian Empire, I decided that I wanted to try a new author and learn more about Sisi. As the author pointed out, Sisi's real life was the stuff of fiction in many ways. The author impressed me with her ability to tell a compelling story that relied heavily on fact, but in such a wa [...]

The Accidental Empress is Allison Pataki's second novel. Her debut was The Traitor's Wife.The Accidental Empress is a sweeping historical novel about the life of Elizabeth "Sisi", duchess of Bavaria that marries Emperor Franz Joseph. Sisi has a very difficult and heartbreaking life. There is very little silver lining for her.What I enjoyed about this novel was the phenomenal detail. I could picture the castles, hills, gowns and jewels from the vivid imagery provided by the author. I feel I've vi [...]

Having visited Sisi 's palace on Corfu two years ago in Greece, I was really looking forward to reading this book. The tour we took through her palace was led by a guide who was supremely well informed, and made Sisi come alive for us as we explored the beautiful rooms. Alison Pataki has done the same with her characterization of this fascinating, yet sad, woman.For a 16 year old girl to marry an Austrian Emperor and all that it entails to become an Empress must have been exactly as difficult as [...]

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.Unfortunately, I had to shelf this book as a "did not finish" at 51% (and more than 7 hours of kindle time, I might add!). This book is long. And boring. I pushed through the first half because the beginning is actually semi-interesting. The book starts with the story of Bavarian duchess Elisabeth, who travels to Austria in order to support her older sister Helene who is betrothed to the Emperor of Austria, Franz Jose [...]

Sisi, otherwise known as Elizabeth, has grown up as the daughter of a Bavarian duke, but she's grown up in an unconventional way. She's free to roam around outside, ride her horses, and partake in other "un-lady" like activities. When her older sister, Helene, is summoned by the Hapsburg Court in Vienna as a possible love-match to their cousin, Franz Joseph, their lives change forever. Helene is not interested in becoming an Empress. She is shy, a bookworm, and wants to be a nun. But when the Em [...]

Empress Elisabeth is such a fascinating figure, it was only a matter of time that someone wrote a book about her.And just like her fabulous debut novel, Allison Pataki has written an engrossing, engaging and compelling novel about one of the forgotten royals of history. Elisabeth was never supposed to be Empress, but she ended up in a role that, frankly, she was never ready for. Fuller review to come soon!

So this was far from being my first encounter with the titular character, Sisi is, in fact, who comes to my mind first when being asked about my favourite historical figure. So naturally, I was a bit anxious whether a novel could do her justice.I did really like the first half, I thought that the impossibly fast "transformation" from wild child to young empress was described rather well. However, Franz was such a plain character and Sophie was a bit too much of a stereotypical villain. During th [...]

"I love those who yearn for the impossible" (Goethe) so it is no wonder I love this book, which attempts (and achieves) the impossible in bringing Empress Sisi's tragic, beautiful contradictory life to the page. In full disclosure, I am Allison Pataki's agent. I am also an avid reader, and I am unbiased when I say that Allison Pataki strikes gold again with this beautiful book about the last Austria-Hungarian Empress. I recommend this book because Allison so accurately and emotionally captures a [...]

Have you read anything about the real Sissi? Then stay away from this one - this is fiction, just fiction! (and the bad kind).What makes for a good historical novel/historical romance?Now there´s the 1 million dollar question that will maintain endless discussions on the matter!For me personally, a good historical novel merely gives life to the character, without ever disrespecting proven/documented facts - meaning, authors don´t get carried away too much, and i get transported into the worlds [...]

Originally posted at Small ReviewI already read the Royal Diaries installment on Empress Sisi, so I knew all about her early romance with Franz and how she became the "accidental" empress.Sadly, the Royal Diaries book ended right when things were starting to get good (as they so often do) and so I was hoping Allison Pataki's book would dive deep into all the post-wedding drama.Because, oh boy, Sisi's life is PACKED with drama! She had an evil scheming mother-in-law. She dealt with wars, revolts, [...]

The Accidental Empress proves Allison Pataki is not a one-hit wonder; this woman is here to stay and, my goodness, does she have stories to tell! As with The Traitor’s Wife, I savored every chapter, relished over every paragraph when I normally would race to the end. Here, however, I took my time and when I finally finished (only four days later – and to be honest, I’m surprised I finished that quickly: this is a big book that demands a lot of attention) I felt hollow. I wasn’t ready to [...]

I received the sequel to this book, Sisi, as an ARC, and was asked to be on the launch team for its release (later this week!) But I obviously wanted to go into it more prepared, so I ordered and read this novel first. AND IM GLAD I DID. Historical fiction is one of my beloved but often forgotten loves. They are to me what chick lit is to so many other women. And I learn things too! How fun! This book was really cool because I had never read anything about this part of Europe, or even much about [...]

Y I K E SI get why people who don't know anything about the Habsburgs might like this but I basically had to force myself to finish it because there were just so many things that were inaccurate but hey at least this book turned me into a huge fan of Archduchess Sophie who was a strong woman and did not deserve to be portrayed like this.Sophie and her husband could have reigned the empire together but they refrained in favour of their son and subsequently she became his most important advisor wh [...]

“The Accidental Empress” by Allison Pataki, published by Howard Books.Category – Historical Fiction Publication Date – February 17, 2015If one is looking for an outstanding book of historical fiction, “The Accidental Empress” is not only based largely on historical fact but is also a compelling story of intrigue and romance.Elizabeth, Sisi, duchess of Bavaria, travels to the Habsburg court in Vienna. She travels with her mother and sister, Helena, who has been chosen to be the wife o [...]

This is a romance novel posing as an historical fiction novel. This novel was a book club pick, which I would have never read if not for that. It’s one of the reasons I’m in book groups: read novels outside of my genre. I’m a huge fan of historical fiction. I’m not a fan of romance novels. This novel would be a perfect novel for a romance novel lover who wants to expand into historical fiction.The author, Allison Pataki used historical information to base the events on the life of Empres [...]

After a slow start I really got into this novel. I live in Vienna and, of course, I have heard about Sisi, seen Schönbrunn and even visited the Sisi museum in the Hofburg and read some of the poems that she had written. Why do I mention all this? Because although this book is a novel Allison Pataki wrote so passionately that Sisi was alive.Oh, there were mistakes. Small ones, not really historically important. Ms. Pataki made assumptions that I didn't always agree with, but as a whole I found t [...]

Fifteen-year-old Sisi is ecstatic to accompany her mother and older sister, Helene, to the Habsburg court for Helen’s betrothal to the young, powerful, Emperor Franz Joseph. As soon as Sisi and Franz lay eyes on one another, however, they are immediately drawn together, and it is only a matter of time before Sisi has fallen for him and finds that he returns her feelings. Drawn to Sisi’s innocent charm and fervent spirit, Franz ends the betrothal with Helene and soon declares his intentions t [...]